Improved washing-machine



UNITED STATESl THOMAS n. Feuers, OF MONROE, MICHIGAN.

IMPROVED WASI-nNGMAcl-iINE.l

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 43,982, dated August 30, 1864.

,To all whom it 'may concern:

Be it-known that I, THOMAS R. FERRls, offMonroe, inthe county of Monroe and State of'Michigan, have invented a new and IlmprovedClothes-Washing Machine; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clean-and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to make 'and use the same, reference'being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part -of this specification, in which- Figure l is a plan or top view of my invention 5 Fig. 2,'a side sectional view of the same,

taken in the line a' fr, Fig. l. Similar letters of reference indicate like parts.

Thisinvention consists in the employment or use of a spirallyiuted cylinder, an endless apron, and concave, and also in the employment or use of a supplemental pressure-roller, all alrangeli and combined in such a manner that clothes may b e washed without injury, and at the same time subjected to a requisite degree of pressure and friction to insure the work being done thoroughly and with a very moderate expenditure of labor and time.

A represents a suds-box, which may be constructed of wood, of rectangular form, and of any suitable dimensions.

B is acylinder, which may .be constructed of hard wood and ilutcd spirally at its periphery, as shown clearly in Fig. 1. This cyl- V indcr is placed transversely in the ends-box A, anddirectly below it there is an endless apron, C, which works over rollersaA a, the latter having their journals iitted in bars D D,

one end of which is secured by pivots or pins b to the sides oi' the sudsbox. Each bar D khas an .upright rod, E, attached to it, and .theserods pass up through bearings c, at-

f, which are attached to a bar, g, which is also sgcuredbetween the bars D l). -By vturning the nuts d on the rods E the concave may be made to press more or less against theluted cylinder B and the clothes which pass lunder viously used but,

the cylinder upon the apron C. subjected to a greater or less pressure, as may be desired. The endless apron-is moved by means of a ratchet, H, on one end'of one ofthe rollers, c, and a pawl, l, which'is attached to aswinging har, J, at one side of the suds-box, said bar J being operated by means of a cam, K, on the shaft of cylinder B, so as to move or turn the ratchet, and the return. movement being' given the pawl by means of a spring, h, attached to said bar. (See Fig. 2.)

Lis a supplemental pressure-roller the journals ot' which are tted in bars M. M, secured at their outer ends by hinges j to the b ack or outer ends of the bars D D. The bars M Mhave each a rod, N, passing through them, the lower ends of said rods being attached to the bars D and having spiral springs O O11 them above the bars M, with a nut, 7c,`bearing on each spring for the purpose of 'regulating their pressure, and consequently that ot' the roller, L on the apron C. (See Fig. 2;) This supplemental roller L, is designed to hold the clothes evenly as they pass under the cylinlder B, and the latter, onaccount of its peripherybeing iiuted spirally, subjects the clothes passingunder it toa rubbing action, the pressure heilig obtained by a concave, G, acted upon by the springs F, the strength of which i is graduated bythe 'nuts d, as previously alluded to. The apron Cl isA designed .to move slowly compared withthe movement of the.

periphery of the cylinder B, and hence the rubbing operation is rendered very efficient,

and, in case a portion ot the clothes requires more rubbing than they can get underthe ordinary movement of the apron, the latter may be' stopped entirely by drawing `the pawl I put from the ratchet H, which may be done by pulling a cord, i', attached to the bar .-T.

The concave Gr, it will be seen, is allowed te yield or give to'suit the varying thicknesses of the clothes passing under cylinder B. VThe box A is supplied with a requisite quantity of suds.

I do not claim the rollers a a and apron C, v

arranged as shown, for' they `have been pre- Having thus described l my invention,- I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. The spirally-fluted cylinder B, in combination with the endlessapron Gand concave G,

NJ operatedv by a spring, h, and -a cam, K, on theshaft of. cylinder B, substantially asdearranged to operate substantially as and for 3, In combination with the cylindel-B and the purpose set forth. the endless apron G, the supplemental roller 2. Operating the endless apron C through L, arranged and applied substantially as and the medium ofthe ratchet H' and the pawl I, fori/he purpose specified. p the latter being attached to theswi'nging bar THOS. R. FERRIS.

W bnesses: l

EDWIN WILLETS,

scribed. FRANKLIN J oSBNsoN. 

